Iran's supreme leader treads carefully in his response to Israel's latest attack

Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, stopped short of calling for retaliation in his carefully crafted remarks on Israel's attack on his country.

“The evil actions of the Israeli regime two nights ago should neither be exaggerated nor downplayed,” Khamenei said. “The miscalculations of the Israeli regime must be disrupted. It is essential to make them understand the strength, will, and initiative of the Iranian nation and its youth.”

His comments suggest that that Iran is carefully weighing its response to the attack. Already, Iran’s military has said a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip or Lebanon trumps any retaliatory attack on Israel, though Iranian officials also have said they reserve the right to respond.

Khamenei added that "it is up to the authorities to determine how to convey the power and will of the Iranian people to the Israeli regime and to take actions that serve the interests of this nation and country.”

Former President Donald rump and his election opponent Vice President Kamala Harris responded briefly to the attack at their respective rallies, although their tones were very different.

“Israel is attacking — we’ve got a war going on and she’s out partying,” Trump said at a rally in Michigan on Friday as Harris was holding an event with Beyoncé in Texas.

Meanwhile, Harris called for “de-escalation and not an escalation of activities in that region.”

“I feel very strongly, we as the United States feel very strongly that Iran must stop what it is doing in terms of the threat that it presents to the region and we will always defend Israel against any attacks by Iran in that way,” she told reporters in Michigan.

Israeli strikes on northern Gaza late Saturday have killed at least 22 people, mostly women and